Cruise Ship Accident Lawyer Blog
MIAMI, FL— June 9, 2011 – A few months after a 15-year-old girl lost part of her leg in a South Florida boat accident, two 16-year-old boys have been charged in connection with the boating mishap. According to information provided by the Associated Press, the accident victim was badly injured upon swimming up to the boat, which was positioned near the Juno Beach Fishing Pier in Palm Beach County, and attempting to climb aboard.
Reports indicated Gabby DeSouza was swimming near the Juno Pier when a boat occupied by a couple of her friends arrived. Although several lifeguards apparently used their horns and whistles to warn the young boaters that they were operating their watercraft in an area meant for swimmers only, DeSouza decided to try to climb on board anyway. Unfortunately, her foot became entangled with the watercraft’s propeller as she attempted to do so.
Immediately after the February 5, 2011 boating accident, the two boys allegedly left the scene and avoided contacting authorities to report the mishap. Reports did not specify how the accident victim made it to shore before being transported to the hospital to be treated for her injuries.
On June 7, officials from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) arrested the two unidentified teenagers that initially fled the scene and subsequently booked them into an unspecified juvenile detention center. They were charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injury, as well as culpable negligence, in connection with the Palm Beach accident.
According to statistics provided by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), 4,730 recreational boating accidents, which resulted in a total of 736 deaths, were recorded in the United States during the year 2009.
About the Miami cruise ship injury lawyers and boat accident attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.
With four decades of experience litigating the multifaceted personal injury and wrongful death claims of boat and cruise line passengers who are hurt or assaulted onboard, the knowledgeable Florida boating accident lawyers of Gerson & Schwartz are dedicated to protecting the rights of these individuals and fighting to provide them with the compensation they deserve. Working closely with the National Center for Victims of Crime, the Miami personal injury attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. strive to provide justice to individuals who suffer serious injuries in a wide variety of boating accidents.